Abstract:
A clear glass toaster; a plane of glass that can heat a living room; a device that helps relieve arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome pain; a less-damaging, more energy-efficient hairdryer — these have all been created by Impression Technology, a nanotechnology start-up headquartered in Frederick and run in large part by three city residents.

The young company has perfected a new, "green" technology it calls Pure Heat, which offers, among other benefits, a way to generate evenly distributed heat at a 70 percent electricity savings over conventional heating methods. The kicker is the technology can be applied to essentially any non-flexible surface, and it is entirely transparent.

"All the stuff you see on Star Trek you can now do," said August A. Wright, Impression's managing director. "It's like the next Microsoft … We feel that this technology is as exciting as the next light bulb in its impact on energy and heating solutions, and on our environmental problems."